Starting Over
by Giantpanda
Summary: What started out as a trip to the hatch to check up on those who wanted to blow it up, becomes much more of an adventure for Shannon and Sayid, which brings them closer together.
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Starting Over  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: What started out as a trip to the hatch to check up on those who wanted to blow it up, becomes much more of an adventure for Shannon and Sayid, which brings them closer together.  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters from Lost and am not making a profit. If they were mine, then there would be more Shayid moments.  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story started out as a random throw away idea that only got developed because of mrstater's encouragement and constant support. Thanks so much!

Chapter One 

Shannon took her time getting dressed. She was so relieved that the danger seemed to be over. The threat of the Others was gone, that crazy French woman had been behind it all. She had started the smoke, and planed it so she could separate the castaways to get the baby. But that was over now. More importantly, Shannon had begun to fix things with Sayid. The relief she felt now was nothing compared with the relief she had felt last night when she had seen Sayid standing by the waterfall. He was safe, and her fears that he would be captured or worse, by the Others had disappeared as she wrapped her arms around him. He had stayed by her side all night, leaving only when she mentioned she had to get dressed.

She decided to find Sayid so they could have breakfast together – or lunch, she wasn't sure how late it was. She hadn't been away from Sayid for long since his return from rescuing Aaron and she needed to make sure he was still okay. She needed to know that sleeping in his arms last night hadn't been a dream. She hadn't slept that well since the night her dad had taken her to Disney World, where for the first time she had thought they were going to be okay after her mom died. Unfortunately, that peace she had felt was temporary. The next day Sabrina and Boone arrived, and things were never the same.

But she didn't want to think about that anymore. There was no reason to dwell in the past; she had been doing that since Boone's death, and was tired of feeling miserable. She had thrown herself into her grief, hoping that it would ease her guilt, but it had only made it worse. Last night, she had revealed her guilt to Sayid, that she felt it was her fault Boone was on the island. Sayid hadn't pushed her to tell him what she meant – which she appreciated, because she wasn't ready to go there yet. Instead he had gotten this look of understanding on his face. So softly he had told her that he knew what she meant, and he had thanked her for sharing her feelings with him. He had then held her until she fell asleep. When the morning light woke her, she was still in his arms. She could get used to sleeping with him.

She walked slowly through the caves, surprised to see so many people just lounging around. It made sense; they were all exhausted from thinking that someone was going to kill them last night. She shuddered at the thought and pushed it away. Instead she was going to focus solely on Sayid and feeling happy again. She didn't expect it to happen all at once, but last night had been a big step.

She spotted Sayid standing on the fringe of the caves with his back to her. She smiled, excited to spend the day with him. Her smile faded as she got closer and found him packing his backpack.

"Where are you going?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

He had just come back from the jungle. Why did he have to go again? Did he not really want her?

Startled, he dropped his bag. "I was not going to leave without telling you."

"That wasn't the question."

"I am going to the hatch. They should have been back by now." He reached out to caress her face. "I want to make sure nothing has happened."

She rolled her eyes as she leaned into his touch. Why did he have to care so much about everyone on the island? She only wanted him to care about her.

"Why, are you worried they might have blown themselves up?"

"That is a possibility. Or there was something unexpected in the hatch."

"So you want to go and check up on them. What if they have blown up or eaten by the jungle monster, why do you have to go after them?"

"No one else knows where to go," he said wearily.

She had forgotten that not many of the castaways had been let in on that little secret. Why did Sayid have to be the one who knew? She wasn't ready for him to go off into the jungle again. She wanted him to stay with her.

She needed to know that he was safe, that he was going to come back to her. She was still healing over the loss of her brother, and she knew that losing Sayid would destroy her. If he was so adamant about going out to the jungle, then she would make sure that he took care of himself as well.

"Can I go with you?"

Sayid looked surprised. "You want go out into the jungle?"

She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "I went that other time. Remember, Sawyer shot a bear and I translated the message. I was useful then."

"You are always useful, Shannon." He began to finger her hair. "I do not know what to expect when we get to the hatch. I do not want you to be in any danger."

"And I don't want you to be in any either. We can keep each other safe. How does that sound?"

He looked down at the ground defeated, "You will need to change."

She glanced at her short skirt and sandals and knew he was right. She knew exactly what she should wear.

"Okay, I'll be right back."

Shannon knew that if she took too long dressing, Sayid would leave without her. She changed into pants and tennis shoes as quickly as she ever had. She grabbed a bag to take with her and added some necessary things, such as extra clothes and a bathing suit, just in case.

Then she found Vincent wondering along the edge of the caves. It always amazed her how he knew when she wanted him. She knelt in from of him and scratched behind his ears, as she told him what she needed him to do. Shannon then grabbed a hold of his leash and walked the dog over to Sun. Shannon knew that Sun needed him more than she did at the moment. While she was there, Shannon restocked her supply of eucalyptus, just in case she had an asthma attack.

She found Sayid standing where she'd left him, and they made their way into the jungle in silence.

Shannon knew that she needed to stay close to him. She didn't want to get lost, or more importantly, she didn't want to find any booby traps, boars, or polar bears, or the French Chick. She took the opportunity to watch him as they walked. He seemed annoyed, the way his shoulders were tense and the expression in his eyes. She hoped it wasn't because of her. She had just wanted to spend time with him.

Suddenly, the realization hit Shannon that she didn't really know anything about him. Though she was hesitant to admit it, he had already captured her heart. How could she love someone she hardly knew? But then she realized that she didn't really need to know him more than she already did. She was connected to him somehow. That had been proven last night when they hadn't needed many words to describe what they were thinking, they just understood. She wondered if they would have gotten together under normal circumstances. An ache settled in her chest as she thought about the possibility of never knowing him. Instead, she decided to focus on learning more about him.

"What's your favorite color?"

Sayid jumped at her voice. "What?" he asked, perplexed.

"Your favorite color," she repeated slowly, "What is it?"

He stopped walking. "I do not know."

"You don't know your favorite color?"

"What is yours?"

"Gray."

"Why gray?"

Reluctantly she answered, "It used to match the way I was feeling, when I was younger."

She didn't want to explain to him why gray had matched her insides, didn't want to explain how miserable she was or had been. Instead she decided to change the topic.

"What about a favorite food?"

They resumed walking as he thought about his answer.

"Um Ali."

"Um Ali?"

"A pastry my mother used to make."

"Will you make it for me when we get rescued?" she asked, flirtatiously.

He visibly relaxed as she asked, and she was relieved. He had seemed so tense during the walk so far that she needed to ease his concerns. She also liked the idea of him cooking for her.

"Only if you make me your favorite."

She bit her lip. "I don't really have a favorite. Food and I don't have a great relationship, although I would love some pasta. This island is an Atkins dieter's dream."

"Atkin's?"

"A diet where you don't eat carbs, just proteins."

"How do you know so much about dieting? You do not need it."

She reached for his hand. "That's a story for another time. Let's just say that it helped me survive and leave it at that, please."

She hadn't meant to reveal that to him. She didn't want him to know about her past, and her relationship with food. She didn't think he would understand, and she couldn't stand the idea of him looking at her differently. How was it that her questions were revealing more information about herself than they were about him?

"You do not need to tell me anything. Just remember that I think you are beautiful."

She squeezed his hand. She wished she could believe his words, but they rang hollow in her ears. She had heard them so many times from people who had just wanted to get her into bed that she no longer believed it.

"What would be the first thing you did when we get rescued?" Shannon asked, once again finding the need to change the topic.

"Shower, then sleep in a real bed."

She smiled. "Sounds perfect. Then shopping. I'll have to bring you with me."

Sayid dropped her hand, and she realized that she may have made a mistake. She was assuming that they would still be together, that Sayid would want to maintain their relationship, however fragile it was now, once they got off the island. She didn't have the chance to explain herself. They stepped through the brush and found themselves in front of the hatch.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

TITLE: Starting Over  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: What started out as a trip to the hatch to check up on those who wanted to blow it up, becomes much more of an adventure for Shannon and Sayid, which brings them closer together.  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters from Lost and am not making a profit. If they were mine, then there would be more Shayid moments.  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story started out as a random throw away idea that only got developed because of mrstater's encouragement and constant support. Thanks so much!

Chapter Two 

Shannon stood motionless as she took in the scene before her. All she could see from where she stood was a gigantic rectangular hole. She couldn't imagine how much time had been spent digging it, and thought that even though they were on the island, there had to be better ways to pass the time. She wondered how deep the hole was and hoped never to find out.

Jack, Locke, Kate, and Hurley were standing around outside of the hatch. They all seemed to be in one piece. It seemed like a wasted trip to check on them. She tried to remember if someone else went with them, and could vaguely remember the science teacher. She wondered what they had been doing all night. It didn't seem like they had gotten much done.

She took a few steps closer with Sayid, and finally got to see the hatch. She looked down and could a ladder, but all it led to was darkness. She guessed that it was possible for the castaways to hide inside, but did she really want to? She thought she would rather take her chances with the Others than go inside that thing. She glanced over at a piece of warped metal, and guessed that it had been blown off by the explosion that Sayid had told her the rest of them had planned. She wanted to step a little closer to see what else she could see, but she didn't move any further since Sayid didn't move.

Suddenly, Hurley rushed over to them and hugged Sayid tightly. She would have laughed at Sayid's shocked expression, but the creepiness of the hatch prevented her from doing so.

"Dude, I am so glad to see you." Hurley took a shaky breath. "The numbers are bad. I told them that, but they didn't listen. They opened it anyway. I told them about the numbers. I know you'll listen to me."

What numbers? She glanced to Sayid and he shrugged his shoulders as if to say he didn't understand either.

"Arzt blew up, right in front of us," Hurley continued. "It's the curse, it got to him too."

Jack walked over to where they stood. He ignored Hurley's rambling, and Shannon guessed that he had heard them all before. Then she realized what Hurley had just said. Arzt, the nerdy science guy, had blown up. She shivered as a mental image of a shower of Arzt entered her mind. That was not something she ever needed to think about again.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked Sayid.

"We wanted to check to see if everyone was still in one piece. We were concerned."

"Why didn't you come alone?"

Shannon crossed her arms over her chest. How dare he question why she was there? She had every right to be there. Her brother had helped Locke with uncovering it. Did Jack think she was useless just like everyone else?

"I felt that someone else needed to know about this location." Sayid answered, his voice measured. "I trusted Shannon to be that person."

Shannon's hearts soared at his words. She knew that it had been her idea to come with him, but it wasn't necessary for him to say that to Jack. No one had really ever trusted her before. She knew she wasn't going to let him down.

Her happiness at Sayid's statement went away as Locke came over.

"We're trying to find away inside," he told them. "We blew the top off, now we just need to climb down."

Jack moved to stand next to Locke, and Shannon could see that they were on the same side.

Sayid shook his head. "Nothing good will come from going down the hatch."

Shannon had to admit that she was curious to find out what was hiding inside, but she wasn't willing to voice that thought. She knew that Sayid had his reasons for not wanting to go inside. Anyway, if she were going to side with anyone it would be him. She trusted Sayid much more than she did Locke, even before he killed her brother.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she realized that Locke was staring at her. She was used to men staring at her; she rarely got to go anywhere without it happening. Even Sayid had stared at her while they were translating the maps. However, there was a big difference in the way Sayid looked at her compared to the way Locke was looking at her now. When Sayid watched her, she felt safe, and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Now she felt like she wanted to crawl out of her skin and never return.

"We need someone tall and thin to go down," Locke said. "The opening isn't that big."

Realizing Locke meant her, she ignored the rest of his words and looked away. Kate stood off to the side. Why couldn't she do it? Kate was like superwoman or something, at least that's how everyone else seemed to think of her. Shannon just thought she was a pain. She couldn't describe it, but she just didn't get a good vibe off her, especially after hearing that she was the fugitive. As Locke went on, Shannon stepped closer to Sayid. She knew that he would protect her. He slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her even closer. Any thoughts of something bad happening disappeared as he gently rubbed her side with his thumb.

"No one is going down there," Sayid stated. "The danger is too great. We have had enough excitement to last. We do not need anymore."

With dark bags under his blood shot eyes, Jack wearily asked what happened. Shannon realized that he always looked tired, and wondered if he ever slept. How good of a doctor was he if he never took care of himself?

Sayid relayed the events of the previous day. He told them of Danielle and what had happened with Aaron.

"Sayid handled everything," Shannon said proudly. "He made sure that everyone was safe. No one died on his watch."

She noticed that Jack's eyes fell to the ground. She felt a small sense of victory. Deep down she knew that there had been nothing else for Jack to do to save Boone, but that didn't mean a part of her still didn't blame him.

Locke continued to try and get them to examine the hatch further. Shannon stopped listening. Instead, she focused on the fact that Sayid's arm was still around her waist. It wasn't necessary anymore; she knew that Locke realized that she wasn't going to go down the hatch. She felt better knowing that Sayid was beside her. She couldn't remember a time when she had ever paid so much attention to the simple things, before, like earlier when they had held hands. She had always skipped that part of the relationship, and it felt really good to be moving slowly.

Shannon was bored. They were going around in circles. Since the hatch didn't seem that interesting anymore, and she knew that they couldn't see what was inside, she really didn't care. Instead, she was thinking about what she wanted to do when she returned to the caves. She decided that she needed to work on her tan. She'd been productive enough for the day. The sun was beginning to rise higher, and she was starting to feel sticky with sweat. She wanted to change into her bathing suit, take a dip in the ocean and then relax on her towel. Of course, she also wanted Sayid to be there with her.

After telling them that he wouldn't help them, Sayid took her hand and led her back through the opening. Hurley had protested them leaving, but she wasn't really paying attention anymore. Her mind was already at the beach picturing Sayid in a bathing suit, and if he didn't own one, then that wouldn't be a problem.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

TITLE: Starting Over  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: What started out as a trip to the hatch to check up on those who wanted to blow it up, becomes much more of an adventure for Shannon and Sayid, which brings them closer together.  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters from Lost and am not making a profit. If they were mine, then there would be more Shayid moments.  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story started out as a random throw away idea that only got developed because of mrstater's encouragement and constant support. Thanks so much!

Chapter Three 

Shannon and Sayid began their trip back to the caves without the sense of urgency that had accompanied them to the hatch. As soon as they had entered the jungle Sayid had dropped her hand. She thought of taking it back, but could tell by how was he was walking that he was frustrated by what had happened at the hatch. She thought that it would be best to leave him alone for the time being. She'll have time later to talk him into going to the beach with her.

She understood why he was upset. If Jack and Locke had listened to him, then Arzt would still be alive. Personally, she didn't understand why anyone would want to stay near that hatch. It freaked her out. They were also much stupider then she had previously thought. Who still used dynamite when one of your own had already blown up? None of it made sense to her. She thought Jack was smarter than that, but she wondered if Locke had gotten to him. She didn't trust Locke, and was glad that Sayid didn't either. She knew that Sayid would be a much better leader for the group than Locke was.

Shannon stopped walking, and waited for Sayid to slow down.

"Why don't you take over from Jack? I know that everyone would feel safe if you were the leader."

"That is not a job I want," Sayid answered harshly.

Shannon felt hurt by his tone. He had never spoken to her like that before. Even though she tried to pretend that it didn't matter, her eyes filled with tears. She was used to people talking to her like that, but never Sayid. She had never thought he would use that tone, and it hurt more than she wanted to admit. She wanted to tell him all the reasons why he should be in charge, but the words died on her lips.

Sayid stopped walking and turned to face her. He ran his fingers across her check to wipe away the tear that had fallen.

"I apologize. You did nothing to deserve that," he said gently.

She shrugged. "It's fine."

He sighed deeply. "I was in a position of power once." He hesitated. "I lost myself, and I do not what it to happen again. I do not want you to see me like that."

His eyes were filled with so much pain as he spoke that Shannon wanted to comfort him, she just didn't know how. She was surprised that he felt that he hadn't been a good person before. But the guilt she could see in his eyes revealed that he had done some horrible things. She knew exactly what he was talking about. She felt that she had changed since the day they had crashed on the island, but there were still times when she felt herself slipping. She wondered if she would have the same willpower to keep herself out of a position that could cause her to become more of that bitch again.

"It won't happen."

"How do you know?" Sayid asked.

She didn't know, it was just a feeling that she had. She couldn't explain to him that she didn't think he needed any help staying the man he was now. But she had her own fears about sliding back into bitchdom. Would she be able to help him stay changed, while doing the same for herself? She realized that all she could do was support him, the way he did her, and maybe then they would both turn out just fine.

"I won't let it," she stated with a smile.

"I will hold you to that promise," he said seriously, his eyes penetrating hers.

They continued walking back to the caves, however, Sayid now held her hand again. She felt safer when he held it, and she also felt loved, like she mattered. She thought about the promise she had made to Sayid and she knew that she had every intention of keeping it. However, she didn't really think it would be necessary.

As they entered the caves, Shannon realized that she wasn't ready to let Sayid go yet.

"Would you like to spend the day at the beach with me?" She asked.

"Doing what?"

"Swimming, lying out in the sun, talking, whatever. You deserve a break."

"I do not swim," he stated.

"You can watch me swim, and then you can watch me tan. Sounds like a great plan to me."

He smiled as he tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I like any plan which involves watching you."

Her eyes dipped down to the ground as her face flushed pink. She didn't know how to respond to his comment. Instead, she told him that she would meet him at the beach after she changed.

Shannon took her time deciding which bathing suit she should wear, as Sayid's comment played on loop in her head. She wanted to pick one that he hadn't seen before, but she couldn't remember which ones he hadn't. She also had to make sure that the bathing suit wasn't too revealing. She couldn't let Sayid think she was dressing for him, or misread her and think she was ready to have sex with him. She wanted it to be subtle. Finally, she decided on her floral bikini that was only slightly more conservative than what she would normally wear. Yet she still knew that Sayid would like it.

After changing, she made her way quickly to the beach. She paused as she found Sayid lounging on a towel waiting for her. His eyes were closed as he enjoyed the sun hitting him in the face. She couldn't remember a time when he had looked so relaxed, and at peace.

"I thought I would need to send a search party to find you," Sayid said, his eyes still closed.

Shannon crossed her arms over her chest. "I was not gone that long."

He opened his eyes and looked up at her. "I was teasing. It was well worth the wait. You look beautiful."

Shannon sank down to the sand beside him.

"How is it that you still have clothes to wear that I have not seen yet?" he asked.

"I always over pack. I guess it went in my favor this time."

"Do you have anything else that I haven't seen?"

She leaned forward, and whispered, "You'll just have to wait to see."

"I look forward to it."

She smiled as she lay down next to him. Shannon had wanted to go swimming in the ocean to get rid of the grossness she felt from walking through the jungle, but she wanted to stay beside Sayid. He had been teasing her, and she enjoyed it. She wasn't used to people teasing her in a positive way about her packing skills. Normally, Boone would be annoyed that she had three times as many bags as him, or he would complain about how long it was taking her to pack. When Sayid was teasing her it was different. It seemed like it was doing more than teasing, but could she classify it as flirting? She hoped so.

Unfortunately, Shannon could hear Charlie calling Sayid's name as he ran over to where they sat. She wanted to tell him to go away, but when Sayid sat up, she knew she had to as well.

"How long do you think we should stay in the caves?" Charlie asked, kneeling besides them.

"I believe it may be safe to return to the beach now, but I think it would be best to stay at the caves a little longer."

"What should we do? Should we get some more fruit, or firewood? What can I do?"

Sayid rested his hand on Charlie's shoulder as if to calm him. "You should stay with Claire for now. If anyone else is looking for something to do, tell them to take the day off. Everyone deserves a break."

"Thanks Sayid. We were all going a little crazy without you here," Charlie said as he dashed off again.

Sayid looked troubled by Charlie's statement. He was staring off into the ocean as his chest heaved with a sigh. Shannon knew that he didn't want to be in charge, but he may not have a choice. No one else could handle it the way he could, and she knew she would never trust anyone the way she trusted him.

"I think you may have to get used to the idea that they see you as their leader," she said softly. "I know you don't want it, but they seem to think it fits, and I agree."

"I do not want to talk about that."

Shannon bit her lip. She wasn't used to Sayid shutting down on her like that, but she knew that whatever happened in his past had left him with deep scars. She wondered briefly if this was how he felt after she had pushed him away after Boone's death, but she forced the thought away. Instead, she hoped that she would be able to help him. She knew that she could now anyway.

"We don't have to talk. How about we go swimming instead?"

"I believe I already told you I do not swim."

"And I had said you could watch me. At least come to the edge of the water with me."

"As long as we do not go too far."

Sayid stood and reached out to help her up as well. She tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as Sayid swept his eyes over her. He had this way of looking at her as if she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. She almost believed him.

She tugged on his hand to pull him towards the ocean. She was going to take his mind off all the issues of the hatch, and being a leader. She was going to make sure that he had fun and enjoyed himself. A bonus for her was that she would get to spend her time with him, and there was nothing that she liked more.

The ocean waves splashed around their feet as they walked into the water. Shannon enjoyed the coldness on her body. She shivered slightly, which caused Sayid to pull her into his arms. Her back to the waves, she rested her head against him. She was content to simply stay there, when Sayid suddenly broke away, and rushed further into the ocean.

"I thought you didn't want to swim?" she called after him.

She saw something bobbing up and down, but couldn't tell what it was.

Sayid bent to haul the object out of the water. Shannon's mouth dropped open as she saw an arm splash into the water. Her heart started beating faster as Sayid made his way to shore with a body. The head fell back as Sayid continued dragging the body ashore.

Her heart stopped as she realized that it was Sawyer, and he wasn't moving. 

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

TITLE: Starting Over  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: What started out as a trip to the hatch to check up on those who wanted to blow it up, becomes much more of an adventure for Shannon and Sayid, which brings them closer together.  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters from Lost and am not making a profit. If they were mine, then there would be more Shayid moments.  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story started out as a random throw away idea that only got developed because of mrstater's encouragement and constant support. Thanks so much!

Chapter Four 

Shannon stood there motionless as Sayid pulled Sawyer further out of the water. She didn't know what to do. She turned to look back out to sea to see if she could find the rest of those who had been on the raft. Maybe Sawyer had just fallen off or something, but she knew that wasn't likely. Her eyes filled with tears at the calm she saw out in the ocean. They could all be dead, and the chance of rescue was gone. She hated herself for even thinking about rescue when Michael, Jin and Walt could be dead.

Shannon watched helplessly as Sayid fell to the ground beside Sawyer and appeared to examine him. He called her over, and she moved slowly, unsure of what she needed to do.

"Sawyer is still alive," Sayid said. "He has been shot through the shoulder. The bullet passed clean through."

Sayid opened his mouth as if to tell her something else, but closed it quickly. Instead, he stood up and hugged her tightly, whispering that it would be all right.

Kneeling back down next to Sawyer, Sayid continued. "I need you to go get the towels off the beach. Also, see if you can find someone to get Sun. She'll be more help than I will."

Shannon quickly moved as Sayid continued examining Sawyer. He called to her as she ran off, "Thank you, Shannon."

She knew how urgent the situation was, and she quickly gathered their belongings. She ignored the shaking in her hands. Sayid was doing what he could to save Sawyer, and she would do whatever she could to help him.

Shannon noticed one of the other castaways standing there watching, and she yelled to him to get Sun. She had no idea what his name was; she had never bothered to learn. She decided that once Sawyer was taken care of, she would start learning names of those who didn't really matter. But for now she had more important things to do.

Shannon rushed back to Sayid and gave him the towels. She watched as he tied the towel around Sawyer's shoulder to apply pressure. She saw how calm Sayid was, and she realized that she needed to act in the same manner. She decided that she was only allowed to panic if he did.

Tilting Sawyer's head back, Sayid held a bottle of water to his mouth. Sawyer's eyes fluttered open as his body shook with violent coughs. Shannon breathed a sigh of relief even as she turned away from him throwing up seawater. She wasn't really friends with Sawyer, but that didn't mean she wanted him to die. He kept things entertaining on the island, and even though her heart belonged to Sayid, it didn't mean that she didn't enjoy it when Sawyer walked around shirtless.

"Walt?" Sawyer asked weakly. "Have you found Walt?"

"You are the first we have seen. No one else has come ashore."

Sawyer shook his head. "They took him. We thought they were rescue." He coughed weakly. "The radar showed us a ship, they came and took Walt. I couldn't stop them." His eyes filled with tears. "I couldn't do anything."

Shannon didn't believe him at first, she thought maybe she had misunderstood. But the tears in Sawyer's eyes told her that she had heard correctly. Walt was missing. She didn't want him to be hurt, out of everyone on the raft, Walt had been the one who had reached out to her when she needed someone the most. It was Walt who showed her that staying in her grief wasn't working, and showed her that it was okay to talk with someone, even if that someone was a dog. They had to find him.

"You did what you could," Sayid said, his voice calm. "We will find Walt."

Sawyer shook his head. "The Others took him. Why would they take him?"

Shannon felt her fear growing at his words. The Others weren't supposed to be real. Rousseau had made them up so she could get Aaron. Shannon didn't want them to be real because it would mean they weren't really as safe as they all thought.

Sun came running down the beach. Shannon's heart went out to her. She had no idea where her husband was, and she had to care for Sawyer.

Sawyer's eyes fell on Sun. "Jin tried to save me," he whispered. "We held on for as long as we could."

Sun told him to rest as she began to dress his wound.

Sayid walked away from where Sun sat with Sawyer, and began pacing back and forth. Shannon had never seen him that upset before. His fists were balled at his sides, and she wished she knew what to do to help him.

"I should have known."

"What? That the Others had a boat?"

He shook his head. "Danielle said that they wanted the boy. She thought they meant Aaron. The whispers, she said. I thought she was crazy, I thought she had made it up. It was Walt all along. I should have stopped this."

Shannon rested her hand on his arm. "And how could you have done that? Danielle didn't tell you about the whispers until last night, and the raft was already gone. You can't blame yourself."

Sayid ignored her words as he continued pacing. "I can fix it. I will make it up to Walt by finding him now. I think I know where he would be."

She couldn't believe how quickly everything had changed. One second she was resting in his arms, and now he was talking about returning to the jungle to find Walt. She wanted the peacefulness back, but she knew that wasn't possible. Instead she knew that she wanted to help.

"I'm coming with you."

"No, I need you to stay here. You know what is happening, I need for you to be in charge."

Shannon snorted. "As if they would listen to me. Anyway, I want to be with you."

She knew that she wouldn't be any help to anyone if she were worried about Sayid. She needed to stay with him to know that he was safe, and for her own safety.

"It would be better if you are here. I do not know how dangerous this will be."

"Exactly, and I'll be safe with you. What if the Others come back here while your out looking for Walt? I trust you Sayid, and I know that I'll be safe with you." She bit her lip. She knew that the next thing she was going to say was wrong and slightly manipulative, but she wanted to stay with Sayid. "Could you forgive yourself if something happened to me while you were away."

His shoulders sagged under the weight of her words. "That is not fair."

Her eyes dropped to the ground. She hated that Sayid could see through her, and knew exactly what she was trying to do. She didn't mean to hurt him, and she didn't want to hurt him. She just needed to go with him. But seeing the hurt in his eyes, told her that she needed to find a better way to meet her goal.

"I'm sorry but I'm going with you. I'll follow if you leave without me."

He sighed. "We will need to move quickly," he said reluctantly.

She nodded, relieved that she didn't have argue with him anymore. She was glad that she never unpacked her bag from earlier. She knew that she could just throw some clothes on over her bathing suit and be ready to go.

Shannon and Sayid walked back to check on Sawyer again. He still seemed weak, but at least he was conscious.

Sun began to tell them what she was doing, when Sayid saw something else floating in the water. Shannon turned to where he was looking, and she saw an arm flailing in the water. Sayid ran back into the water, swimming further out this time. Shannon and Sun held their breath to see who would be brought back.

Sayid dragged an exhausted Jin next to where Sawyer lay. Sun's eyes filled with tears and she fell to the sand beside him. Shannon smiled as the two interacted. Shannon knew first hand what it felt like to fear the death of a loved one. She remembered her own relief the night before, and imagined that Sun's was even greater.

Sayid quickly relayed some instructions to Sun about what to do with Sawyer and Jin. He needed her to be in charge of their care until they were able to send Jack back to the beach. He then took Shannon's hand and they moved quickly to get back to the caves.

Shannon hurriedly threw some clothes on over her bathing suit, without even looking to see if they matched. She knew that Sayid was changing out of his wet clothes at the other side of the caves. Yet somehow he still was changed and ready to go before her. He walked up just as she was finishing.

"Are you ready?" Sayid asked, swinging his backpack onto his shoulder.

She nodded. "Where are we going?"

"We will go to where Charlie and I found Aaron, but first we need to get Jack to take care of Sawyer and Jin."

"Let's go."

They started running to the hatch, they knew there was no time to waste. Shannon was glad that they had made the trip to the hatch earlier because now she knew where to go, and it didn't seem quite as scary. She did however have to make sure that she kept up with Sayid. She was glad that despite her asthma she had been on a few sports teams in high school, it helped her to be able to match Sayid's pace.

Finally they broke through the undergrowth to find everyone still standing around the hatch talking about it. Sayid quickly explained to them what had happened with Sawyer and Walt. Shannon watched the reactions on everyone face as Sayid talked. Kate's hand flew to her mouth in horror about what happened to Sawyer. Locke and Hurley looked physically ill as Sayid told them that the Others had Walt. Jack started asking questions about Michael and the raft, but Shannon stopped listening, she was annoyed that they were wasting time. Shannon focused on the conversation again when she heard Sayid mention her name. Sayid told them that he was taking her with him to search for Walt. She saw the surprise register on their faces, and once again she was upset that they considered her to be useless. She would help find Walt, and then they would all be sorry they doubted her.

Jack, Hurley, and Kate rushed back to the beach. Kate was as pale as a ghost. Shannon rolled her eyes at Kate. She really needed to pick either Jack or Sawyer, the whole triangle thing was getting old. She frowned as she realized that Locke had stayed behind. She was being to regret her decision to come along now that Locke seemed to be coming with them, but she knew that she didn't want to leave Sayid alone with Locke.

Without a word, Sayid motioned for them to follow. They were off to find Walt, and Shannon hoped Walt would be all they found.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

TITLE: Starting Over  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: What started out as a trip to the hatch to check up on those who wanted to blow it up, becomes much more of an adventure for Shannon and Sayid, which brings them closer together.  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters from Lost and am not making a profit. If they were mine, then there would be more Shayid moments.  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story started out as a random throw away idea that only got developed because of mrstater's encouragement and constant support. Thanks so much!

Chapter Five

Shannon had been walking, practically running, for what felt like hours now. She was beginning to get tired, but seeing how Locke and Sayid were still fine, she knew she would keep going. She wouldn't complain either. Walt was in a position much worse then hers. She couldn't imagine how terrified he must be. She didn't want to visualize what they were doing to him. Instead, she focused on the keeping Sayid in sight.

As much as she tried to pretend she was on her way to spend a romantic evening with Sayid, her mind still went to Walt. She wondered how much further until they would find him or if they would find him at all. She didn't like that thought and tried to push it away, but more came to mind. What would they find? Would she really be able to handle the Others? A part of her was beginning to question why she had thought it would be a good idea to come. She was breathing heavily now, and knew that if she had an asthma attack it would slow them all down. She wanted to be a hero, not the reason the Others did more damage to Walt. Shannon wasn't used to these feelings. She wasn't used to be terrified for someone else, and it wasn't a feeling she wanted to get used to. She just wanted it to be over.

Sayid stopped suddenly, announcing that they needed to take a short break. Locke stopped a few feet ahead of them, while Sayid came to stand next to Shannon.

Handing her the water bottle, he asked her how she was doing.

"I'm fine. I just want to find Walt."

He caressed her face. "I know, so do I." He glanced over at Locke and lowered his voice. "I wanted to see if you were all right with Locke."

She sighed. She should have known that Sayid would worry about her even when they were searching for Walt. She loved that he cared about her. Not many people did.

"All that matters is Walt," she said softly. "I can put up with Locke if we find Walt." She bit her lip. "Walt trusted me to keep an eye on Vincent. He told me that I could talk to the dog, that he was a good listener. I remember thinking how did a ten year old get so smart. I want to give Vincent back to him now, I don't need him any more."

Sayid reached out and took her hand. He brought it up to his lips and brushed a gentle kissing against her knuckles.

"Walt is an intelligent boy. He will be fine."

"Can we just go find him, please?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Sayid nodded and squeezed her hand as they walked towards Locke. Locke turned around and gave her his intense look that chilled her to the bone. She felt as if he could see through her, and maybe even read her thoughts. He made her feel naked, and it wasn't a feeling that she liked.

"Crazy bastard," she muttered as they continued onward.

Sayid grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop walking. She was surprised by the glare that he gave her.

"It is not wise to call a crazy person crazy," he whispered. "Keep those thoughts to yourself for now."

At least she knew that Sayid agreed with her, and he did have a point. She was glad that Locke didn't hear what she said. She doubted that Locke would do anything to her while Sayid was there.

They continued onward, climbing over fallen trees and pushing the branches out of their way. She was becoming numb to the scrapes and scratches that were on her legs and arms. It was moments like this when Shannon wished she had joined the girl scouts like Sabrina had wanted. At the time Shannon had been so glad that she had been able to convince her to allow her to continue with the dance classes instead. She hadn't really enjoyed the classes, but she had been able to lose herself in the music and the movements, and she was able to find peace. Whenever she had fought with Sabrina, Shannon would go to her room and practice ballet for hours until she felt better again. She had spent many hours in her room. Maybe it would have been different if she had done what Sabrina had wanted, especially since it would help her now. She guessed that it didn't really matter anymore; she couldn't go back and change the past.

As another branch whipped across her legs, she once again questioned her decision to come with Sayid. She had wanted to be with him for the safety of both of them, and now it didn't seem worth it. But when she looked over at Sayid, she knew it was the right thing. He had this look of concentration on his face, but every once in a while he would check behind him to make sure she was still there. He always smiled at her when he checked. It made her feel safe. She knew she couldn't get lost with him looking out for her. She knew that they would find Walt because Sayid said they would. She remembered last night listening in on Sun and Claire's conversation about Charlie being able to bring Aaron back. Even then she had known that Sayid would be the one who would get Aaron back, and she had been right. It built her faith in him up even more, and she knew Walt would be all right.

They came to a fork in the path they had been using, and Shannon was reminded of the dumb joke her daddy would always tell her. He used to tell her if she came to a fork in the road that she should take it. He would always laugh after he said it. She rolled her eyes at the memory. She missed his corny jokes.

Locke and Sayid were arguing about which way to go. Shannon had no idea which was best so she stayed out of the discussion. It went without saying that she would go wherever Sayid went. Locke decided that each path needed to be covered, so he went to the right, while she and Sayid went to the left. She hadn't realized how much Locke's presence bothered her, until he was gone.

"I believe we will find him soon," Sayid said.

"How do you know?"

"We are close to where Charlie and I found Aaron."

"Am I a better partner than Charlie?"

He stopped walking. "Do you really even have to ask? If I had a choice, I would always pick you."

"You just like the way I look in a bathing suit."

Sayid smiled as a slight blush crept into his cheeks. "That is true, but now why I would pick you. I trust you Shannon. I know that you will not do anything foolish that would get us killed."

Shannon didn't know what to say. No one had ever told her flat out that they trusted her before. She had never given anyone any reason to. Had she even done anything to build his trust in her? She wanted to ask him to find out why he felt that. A part of her thought that he was lying, simply trying to calm her frazzled nerves. But the look in his eyes made her believe that he actually felt that it was the truth.

She opened her mouth to ask him, when he grabbed a hold of her and roughly pulled her down behind some bushes. She was ready to yell at him, when she heard voices. She peered through the bushes, and her heart stopped at what she saw.

Walt was tied to a tree, his eyes wide in fear. They'd found him, now they just needed to figure out how to save him.

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

TITLE: Starting Over  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: What started out as a trip to the hatch to check up on those who wanted to blow it up, becomes much more of an adventure for Shannon and Sayid, which brings them closer together.  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters from Lost and am not making a profit. If they were mine, then there would be more Shayid moments.  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story started out as a random throw away idea that only got developed because of mrstater's encouragement and constant support. Thanks so much!

Chapter Six 

They stood completely still as they continued to watch Walt with the Others. She was surprised by how grizzly and gross they looked. She wondered how long they had been on the island, and hoped that she never looked like that. One looked towards where she sat with Sayid, and the blackness of their eyes terrified her. Shannon felt her heart hammering in her chest and she wondered if they could hear it. She wanted to grab onto Sayid, and make him turn around, and go back to the caves. But when she looked at Walt tied up and terrified, she knew she couldn't leave him there.

Sayid slipped his backpack off and quietly unzipped it. Shannon couldn't believe how quiet he was being. He was moving around without making any sound at all. He reached into his back and withdrew a gun. Carefully he handed it to her. She stared at him wide eyed; she had a feeling she wasn't going to like his plan.

"I need you to stay here. If anyone comes near you, shoot them. I know you can."

"Don't leave me," she whimpered, the gun heavy in her hands.

"I will be back, and I will bring Walt with me." He reached out and caressed her face as he always did. "Please do not worry. I will not leave you."

Sayid became blurry as her eyes filled with tears. She hated that he could read her deepest fears. He moved quickly out of the bushes as rushed towards the Others. Shannon drew her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes tightly as she heard the fighting begin.

She couldn't lose Sayid, she didn't want to know what her life would be like without him. Instead she decided to think happier thoughts. She thought about rescue. For the first time she allowed herself to picture her future. She could see a beautiful house, the kind she used to wish she lived in, one that wasn't too big or too small. She smiled slightly at the vividness of each room. She was surprised to find that each of the rooms was littered with children's toys. She had never thought before about children, but something inside of her realized that one day it was something she wanted. But as she pictured what they would look like, she knew that their father had to be Sayid.

Someone pushing her onto her back brought her from her thoughts, knocking the gun from her hand. She struggled as the man pushed her to the ground and climbed on top of her. Tears stung her eyes as he held her down. She wanted to call out to Sayid, but she couldn't. She couldn't speak at all. She continued twisting and turning trying to get away from the man whose eyes were black with hate.

He ran his fingers through her hair. "Another special one," he said, as his hands moved to her waist.

She squeezed her eyes closed as he leaned forward to kiss her. Thoughts of Sayid forced her to keep fighting. She began to kick her legs hoping to connect. Finally, she did and he rolled off her. She stretched as far as she could hoping she could reach the gun. Her fingers grazed against the cold metal as her heart started beating faster. She didn't have much time. She tried again and was able to reach the gun. Her hands shook as she pointed the gun at the man. She knew that firing would draw more attention to her, but she had no choice.

Shakily, she pulled the trigger. The sound seemed to echo throughout the jungle, causing a few birds to squawk as they startled. Shannon's ears rang as she fell backwards, the smoke obscuring her view of the Other as he fell to the ground. Shannon wasn't sure if he was dead, and really didn't want to find out. The bushes around her rustled and she pointed the gun again, her finger stayed on the trigger.

Suddenly, Sayid was in front of her, Walt clinging to him. He reached out and pulled her to her feet, causing her to drop her gun.

"Run," he said breathlessly, as he pulled her along. Shannon reached out to grab the gun before they left. She didn't want to take any chances.

Shannon ran as fast as she could to keep up with him. She didn't know how Sayid could carry Walt while running. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care as long as they got away from those people. Her skin crawled where that man had touched her, and she needed Sayid to hold her to take it away.

They continued running and Shannon was beginning to feel the familiar tightening in her chest that signaled an asthma attack. She knew she needed to stop, but fear kept her going. The Others wanted Walt, and now they probably wanted to kill her and Sayid as well. Finally, he stopped them and led them to a cave.

Shannon watched as Sayid took care of Walt, placing him on the ground and talking softly to him. She couldn't imagine what he had been through – and that she had been part of his rescue. She wished she could have shown Boone that. She really wasn't useless. Yet even as she had the thought, she sank down to the ground, struggling to catch her breath. She slid her backpack off trying to find her medicine. She was trying to be quiet, Sayid didn't need to worry about her as well, but of course, he knew she was in trouble.

He kneeled in front of her, resting his hands on hers.

"Take deep breaths, Shannon," he said as he pulled out the eucalyptus and crushed it with the materials that Sun had given her.

He placed some of it on his hand and reached out to rub it against her chest. He paused, his hand hovering over her. If she hadn't been so afraid, she would have laughed at him. Instead, she pushed his hand down, forcing him to rub it against her. She focused on the gentle circles and the fire that his touch sent through her. Soon the tightening in her chest lessened.

"Thank you," she said softly.

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "You were very brave back there. I know that was not easy for you."

"He touched me," she whimpered, as she collapsed into his arms.

"You are safe now." He winced as she pulled herself closer.

She removed herself from his arms, her eyes widening as she realized that she had hurt him. She sat back and lifted his shirt to reveal a huge gash on his side.

"You're hurt."

"I've had worse," he said, trying to move out of her way.

"Let me take care of you."

She forced him to lie down. She slipped off her shirt and pressed it against the wound. Now only in her bathing suit top, she shivered in the cold of the caves.

"Jack needs to look at this. We should go."

He shook his head. "We will wait until morning. You need to rest. No arguments."

She knew he wouldn't allow her to talk him into taking care of himself. Instead, she would be the one to take care of him.

Walt stirred and sat up.He looked around terrified. Shannon's heart broke for him. She hoped he didn't ask about his father since she still didn't know what had happened to him. Instead, Walt moved towards them, slowly, and lay beside Sayid. Shannon mirrored his actions. She hoped they would stay as safe as she felt at that moment all night.

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

TITLE: Starting Over  
RATING: PG  
SUMMARY: What started out as a trip to the hatch to check up on those who wanted to blow it up, becomes much more of an adventure for Shannon and Sayid, which brings them closer together.  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters from Lost and am not making a profit. If they were mine, then there would be more Shayid moments.  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story started out as a random throw away idea that only got developed because of mrstater's encouragement and constant support. Thanks so much!

Chapter Seven

Shannon tried to ignore the panic rising in her stomach as she opened her eyes to find herself alone. The previous night's events ran through her mind, and she was terrified that Sayid had been taken from her. Slowly she sat up in the dark cave, wincing as pain from lying on the rock covered floor cursed through her body. She saw Walt still asleep. She turned to the front of the cave and was relieved to find Sayid sitting there looking out into the distance, with the rising sun as a backdrop.

Relieved that he was still there, and in one piece, Shannon quietly moved over to her backpack. She pulled out the extra clothes that she had brought with her, and slipped the shirt on over her bathing suit. She smiled as she remembered how worried she had been that Sayid would tease her about bring extra clothing when they were going to the hatch, but in her heart she knew even if he did tease her, he would never mean it in a way to hurt her. Shannon then pulled out her brush and meticulously removed the tangles from her hair. Once she was certain it looked decent, she went to Sayid.

She sank down beside him, waiting for him to acknowledge her. He seemed lost in thought. His eyes held the faraway look that she had frequently caught him with, when he thought no one was watching. She used to like to guess what he was thinking about, even before she had really spoken to him. She remembered how she used to see him doing many different things to help them with rescue, and she had been surprised one night to stumble across him sitting staring out into the ocean. She hadn't been brave enough to go up and talk to him. Then he had disappeared for a while, and she hadn't seen him until that day he came to her on the beach asking for her help. It was hard to believe that they were together now. How quickly things could change.

She rested her hand on his arm, startling him from his thoughts. He pulled her to him, and wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes tightly. If they stayed like this, then maybe she could forget everything that had happened last night. She shivered at the memories. She didn't know what was worse, the fear she had felt when the Other had attacked her, or the fact that she had shot him to get him off her.

"How are you doing?" Sayid asked softly, brushing his lips against her hair.

"Better now," she answered honestly.

She didn't however, tell him about the nightmares that had plagued her throughout the night. Although, she felt he already knew. Even in her sleep she could feel him pulling her closer and whispering in her ear that everything would be okay. She wanted to believe him, but after seeing the Others she didn't know if that was possible anymore.

"How about you?" she asked.

He sighed. "Last night brought back many memories."

She pulled away from him so she could examine him closely. He no longer had her shirt pressed against his wound, and she knew she would have to force him to see Jack when they got back. She could tell that he had not slept well. At first she had thought that it had been because he had stayed awake to protect them, but now she wondered if something else entirely had kept him awake.

"Would you like to talk about it?" She drew her knees up to her chest. "I'm a good listener."

"Thank you. It has been a long time since I had someone willing to listen."

Shannon wasn't sure if he was going to actually share some of his thoughts with her. A crunching sound drew their attention to the side. Shannon breathed a sigh of relief that it was just the dirt under Walt's shoes. Walt came to sit next to them, and Shannon knew she wouldn't get to find her answers about Sayid.

"Can we go find my dad?" Walt asked quietly.

Shannon felt her heart breaking for him. She didn't know what to say to him. Saying yes seemed to her like it would just be leading him on. Jin and Sawyer had come back, and while she didn't know if Michael had resurfaced since they've been gone she didn't want to give him false hope. She had enough of that in her life, and she didn't want Walt to hurt anymore than he had to.

"We do not know what has happened with your father. We will return to camp to find out," Sayid answered.

Walt moved so that he could climb into Sayid's lap. Shannon noticed then just how young he really was. She had never really talked with Walt before he had given her Vincent, so her one true encounter with him had left her with the impression that he was much older than he really was. But as Walt wrapped his arms around Sayid's neck, she saw the little boy he still was.

Sayid stood with Walt still in his arms, a feat that he made look more graceful then she thought possible. He asked her to get their bags from the cave; it was time to go home. As Shannon packed everything up, she wondered when the beach had become their home, and when rescue had stopped being the answer for everything. She didn't want to think about it anymore. All she wanted was to take Walt back, and she hoped that Michael would be there waiting for them. She knew however, that her hope was just wishful thinking.

She brought their bags out, and decided that Sayid had enough to worry about with Walt. She pulled out what she had in her bag, and placed it inside his before slipping it on. It was heavier then she expected, but she knew she could carry it if it would help Sayid. He looked over at her, and noticed that she had combined the bags. He smiled at her in appreciation.

The walk back to the beach was slow but tense. Every sound they heard could be the Others coming to get Walt. Shannon hated the sense of fear that plagued their every step, and tried to walk closer to Sayid. She knew that under normal circumstances he would have taken her hand, but his were already full keeping Walt safe.

They didn't talk much as they walked. Once in a while Sayid would call out a warning to her if there was something on the ground for her to look out for, or he would talk quietly with Walt. It gave her plenty of opportunity to think about many different things.

Her mind wandered first to Boone and how she wished he could see her walking side by side with Sayid holding Walt. However small her part was in the rescue, she had been there. She didn't know if she had actually been helpful or not, but she had played a role. Even though she told herself that she didn't care what others thought about her, she still was excited to see the looks on their faces when they realize that Sayid had taken her, and she had helped. Of course, the more Shannon thought about it, the more she began to feel guilty. She was so happy that she was able to prove to everyone that she wasn't useless, but Walt was going back to camp with his father most likely dead. In a few ways she knew that Walt was going through. She may have been older than Walt at the time, but the loss of her father still affected her, as did the loss of her mother. She had that in common with Walt, they were both orphans.

Shannon looked again to Sayid carrying Walt. Walt had rested his head against Sayid's shoulder, and it seemed to her that Walt knew his father wasn't going to be waiting for him at the beach. Once again she was struck with how young he looked. He was just a child, and he didn't deserve any of this. Out of all of them, he deserved to be in LA doing things that children do. He had his whole life in front of him; he shouldn't be on this island. Shannon watched as Sayid whispered something in Walt's ear causing him to smile. She smiled too. Only Sayid would find a way to get a smile from Walt during all of this. She knew without a doubt that Sayid would do whatever was necessary to protect Walt, even if it meant that he would be like a father to him. Shannon could picture it in her mind, amending her earlier fantasy to include Walt. Once again, she was struck by the vividness of her fantasy. It felt like something that she could actually achieve, if they ever got off the island. She couldn't picture her future anymore without Sayid in it, and if Walt became part of that picture, that would make her happy as well.

Shannon gave a sigh of relief as they finally walked onto the familiar territory of the beach. She held back a satisfied grin as everyone rushed towards them. She slipped the backpack off her shoulders and stretched. She looked around, and saw no sign of Michael. She knew that if he were alive, he would have been the first to greet them.

Sawyer hobbled over to them, and she tried to ignore the fact that he was shirtless, although a part of her wished Sayid would walk around as he did. Shannon could see Sawyer's exhaustion in each step. Sayid saw him as well, and placed Walt on the ground so that he could hug Sawyer. Shannon knew that even if Michael were dead, Walt would be well taken care of. Leaving Walt to be reunited with the rest of the castaways Sawyer turned his attention to her and Sayid. She prepared herself for his usual snarky words, but instead was surprised by a crushing hug.

"Thank you," he whispered gratefully in her ear.

Shannon didn't know what to say. While she had been looking forward to showing everyone that she wasn't useless, she hadn't expected words of gratitude. Even if she had expected them, Sawyer would have been the last person she would have expected them from. Just when she thought she wouldn't be able to breath anymore, Sawyer released her. If Shannon had been surprised by Sawyer actions, she was shocked by what he did next. He turned his attention to Sayid, giving him a hug of thanks as well. Even under the harsh circumstances, Shannon had to cover her mouth with her hand so she wouldn't laugh. The look on Sayid's face was priceless. Sawyer pulled away awkwardly. Without another word, he went back to where Walt stood.

"That was weird," Shannon said unable to think of anything else.

"He knows better than the rest the danger Walt was in," Sayid answered. "He knows that we placed ourselves in that danger as well when we could have just let Walt stay with them."

"As if we'd do that."

Jack came over to them then, relived that they were all right. Before Shannon could tell Jack about Sayid's wound, he told Jack about her asthma attack.

She shot Sayid a dirty look. "I'm not the one bleeding, am I?" She turned to Jack. "Sayid has a knife wound in his stomach."

Jack went into his overprotective doctor mode lecturing them on how they should have come to him right away. Shannon tried her best not to roll her eyes. Jack hadn't been the one who could have been killed out there. She doubted he even would have survived the attack on the Others, and he was giving them a lecture. All it did was prove to her that Sayid would be a better leader, and in her eyes he already was their leader. Jack was too concerned with the hatch now anyway. Sayid was the one who was saving people. After a few stitches for Sayid, and a check of her breathing, Jack left in search of Walt.

As Jack walked away, Walt came to where they sat. He hugged her first, and Shannon noticed that Vincent had followed behind. At least Walt still had one thing that remained constant in his life. Walt then hugged Sayid tightly, climbing again to sit in his lap.

"Will you keep me safe?"

"We both will," Sayid answered looking meaningfully at Shannon.

Walt seemed satisfied with the answer, and Shannon was as well. She didn't miss the meaning behind Sayid's words. They were together now, for better or for worse, and they would both do what was necessary to keep Walt safe.

"Walt!" Jack called.

Walt slowly climbed off Sayid's lap. He took Vincent's leash and went to find Jack.

"What a day," Shannon said sighing as she moved to sit next to Sayid.

"It did not turn out the way I imaged," Sayid said, wrapping his arm around her. "I expected to check on the hatch, and then relax with you at the beach."

"We can relax here now." She sighed. "At least Walt is safe."

"I could not have done it without you." He kissed her gently on the lips. "And no protests that you did nothing."

He knew her too well. She wondered if anyone in her life had ever known her the way Sayid did, and she realized it didn't matter. She had him now, and didn't need anyone else.

Snuggling closer to Sayid, Shannon rested her head on his shoulder. "Do you think this is over?"

Before he could answer, a collection of gasps could be heard all along the beach. They turned towards the jungle. Thick black smoke could be seen billowing through the trees.

As Sayid pulled her closer, Shannon knew it was only the beginning. 

THE END


End file.
